Doki Doki Fight Club
by SaltWife
Summary: !PLEASE REVIEW! MC has always been a reserved person. They never really got into any social events, and didn't have a lot of friends. But their life flipped on its head when their childhood friend invited them to be a part of an underground fighting ring.
1. Chapter 1

Hey!"

I see an annoying girl running towards me in the distance, waving her arms and completely oblivious to whatever attention she may be attracting. Her school uniform is messy and she's still pulling one arm through her wrinkled jacket. Her strawberry colored hair is also ruffled and her red bow on the top of her head is crooked. I sigh. She looks like a mess.

This girl is Sayori, my closest childhood friend and neighbor. We've known one another since we were children. We met in about first grade, and have been good friends ever since. I never could have predicted it happening, though, since our personalities are so different. She's the kind of person you never expect yourself to befriend— but it just kind of works out that way.

We would often walk to school together in the past, since we lived so close to one another, but ever since we entered high school, she began to sleep in later and later. Not to mention her spending all her free time after school at some club, we never really hung out anymore. We're still friends, but kind of distant. It bummed me out a bit, but what could you do? However, if she's going to really chase me like this, I don't mind waiting up for her.

It looks like she finally woke up on time today, but not on time enough to finish getting ready. She approaches me, out of breath. Sayori pulls her arm through her jacket. "I overslept again!" She exclaims, breathing heavily. "But I caught you this time!" She grins faintly, catching her breath.

"Only because I decided to wait for you." I reply, hefting my bag over my shoulder. I begin to walk, and Sayori catches up to me, walking by my side.

"Ehhh, you say that like you were thinking of ignoring me!" She pushes the tips of her fingers together and pouts. "That's mean, MC!"

MC was her nickname for me since we were young. She would have trouble saying my full name, so she just said MC instead. Now all my friends call me it. It's kind of become a game now, whenever someone asks me my real name, I just say MC.

"Well, if people stare at you for acting weird, I don't want them to think we're a couple or something." I tease, not meeting her gaze.

"Fine, Fine." Sayori says dismissively as she straightens her bow. "But you still waited for me!" She croons. "I guess you just don't have it in you to be mean, even if you want to~" she teases right back.

I don't have a retort. I just scoff. "Whatever you say, Sayori..."

Sayori giggles. We found our neighborhoods corner and cross the street, making our way to school. It's easy to already see past the swaths of other students making their daily commute. Group of other people talk to each other, leisurely strolling in.

I look over to Sayori. She's humming to herself, a little prance in her step. She's oblivious to my looking at her, and says hello to passerby. It makes me.. oddly nostalgic. When was the last time we had walked together like this? Not since... middle school, maybe?

Sayori interrupts my train of thought. "By the way, MC..." she looks over to me.

I act like I wasn't looking at her. "Hmm?"

"Have you decided on a club to join yet?"

"A club?" This was a discussion we had had before a couple times. I didn't exactly have the largest circle of friends, and Sayori took notice. Being the empathetic, hands on person she is, she invited me to take a look at the Club Board— a corkboard in the foyer of the school with all the available clubs. The art club, anime club, and a sports club were all up there, plus some more. I didn't really take interest in them. Im perfectly fine getting by on the bare minimum of social interaction.

I sighed. "I told you already, I'm not interested in joining any clubs. Besides, I haven't really been looking."

Sayori's shoulders sunk. "Eh? That isn't true! You promised me you'd join a club this year!"

"Did I...?" I think back to the many conversations with her where I just kind of dismissively agreed with whatever she was saying. I cringed. That was most likely where I agreed to it... Sayori did like to worry about me, and I wouldn't be surprised if this topic came up more than once.

"Uh huh!" She nods, determined. "I was talking about how I'm afraid you won't develop any kinds of social skills before college."

Yikes. Hard blow on me out of nowhere. Geez.

"Your happiness is really important to me, you know!"

Okay, not as hard, but it still stings.

"And I know you're happy now, but I'd absolutely DIE at the thought of you becoming a NEET in later years because you don't know how to handle the real world!" She clasps her hands together at her chest dramatically.

Yeah, than one felt like a baseball bat right to the skull. Sayori May be a nice girl, but she isn't always the master of subtlety.

"You trust me, right? Don't make me worry about you." Her eyes get bigger and sadder.

"Alright, Alright. If it'll make you so happy, I'll look at some more clubs later."

Sayori begins to smile when I hold up a finger. "No promises, though."

"Will you at least promise to meet me after school?" She pleads. "I have a special club you'll want to see."

"Yeah, I'll promise you that." I smiled a little as Sayori lights up, as if a switch has been flicked.

"Yay!" She jumps for joy and hugs me.

Why do I let myself get lectured by such a carefree girl? She's so go-with-the-flow about so many things, but does a lot of stuff to help benefit me. I can't believe her biggest worry is about me. It's a little flattering, but also embarrassing. I hastily pat her on the back, then pull away. She straightens up and we continue to walk as my face tinges with heat.

We walk inside, and we're about to part ways when I tug on Sayori's cuff. "Hey, Sayori." I say. "What's the poster for this 'special club' you wanted to show me so bad?"

Sayori's face falls. "Oh, well, we don't have a poster for it quite yet."

"Really?" I ask. "Why not?"

Before Sayori can answer, the bell rings. "Oh! There's the bell!" Sayori exclaims. She begins to run in the direction of her class, and turns around and begins to backpedal. "Remember! After school!" Before I can tell her to be careful, she trips over her own foot but catches herself. I chuckle. She waves goodbye as she runs normally up the stairs. I wave back, and make my way to class.

The school day is as ordinary as ever, and it's over before I know it. The bell rings, and the classroom fills with the blended chatter of students. I stay quiet, with no one to talk to, and pack up my things. As I pack, my movement slows, and I end up staring at the wall, searching for any kind of motivation. I remember Sayori wanted me to check out that "special" club of hers.

I'm reluctant. I've never been a fan of social gatherings, and a school-sanctioned one seems... forced and boring. Especially in a teacher- monitored setting, so it's not even like you can truly relax. And what if it's something I'm not interested in, like origami, or sewing, or poetry or whatever? I exhale slowly and pray the club Sayori wants to show me has something to do with eating, sleeping, or anime.

"Hello?" I hear a voice. Suddenly, I snap to qttention, out of my daze. The room is empty, and quiet. How long was I daydreaming? I look over to the door.

"Sayori?" She must have walked in while I was spacing out.

"I thought I'd see you walk out, but you're just sitting here being a space cadet." She chuckled, weaving her way through the desks. "What're you doing?"

"Hey, you didn't have to wait for me if it would make you late to your own club..." I begin. In response to the "What am I doing" I can't honestly answer with "hoping I don't have to join a club". That would be rude, even for me... I just shrug.

"It's okay. Besides, you just sitting here gave me extra time to, Uh, Yknow..." sayori blushes and scratches her cheek nervously.

"Know what?"

"I wanted to prepare something special for you! So, I did."

I smile a bit, but then get confused. "Why is that?"

"Well, I wanted you to come join my club!" Sayori grins, clapping her hands together. "That's what's special about it!"

"Sayori..." I sigh.

"Yeah?" She says excitedly, like a puppy ready for a walk.

"There's no way I'm joining your club."

Sayori happiness breaks, and her eyebrows knit. "Eh? Did you learn what club it is..." she says with a hint of fear in her voice.

"No, I didn't." In fact, I don't know anything about Sayori's club. Just that she spends a lot of time at it and goes home every day tired. Maybe it's a... sports club?! I shudder at the very thought of me doing wind sprints recreationally. Blindly joining a gathering of people who live to do an activity I'll probably hate isn't my idea of fun, especially when it's fun from Sayori's point of view. We don't exactly always see eye to eye.

"Yeah, I think if I'll go to any club, it'll be the anime club. At least I know what it's about." I mutter that last part as I pick up my bag from the floor and begin to al I out when Sayori stops me desperately, with her hands on my chest.

"Nooo, MC! Cmon, please?" She begs, curling her fingers into my jacket.

I sigh at the wrinkles she's making in my uniform. "Sayori, why does it matter so much to you? "

She backs up, looking shameful, trying to cover it up with a weak smile. She pushes the tips of her fingers together again, a nervous habit of hers. "Well.." she says slowly. "I.. may have told the club I'd bring in a new member... today... a-and Natsuki made cupcakes and everything."

"Don't make promises you can't keep!" I scold her. However, I peeked up when she said cupcakes. Is she really such an airhead that she did this, or that she's secretly cunning enough to have planned this all out? It's hard to tell, but whatever the case, Sayori knows she has the upper hand. Especially with knowledge that I love any kind of sweet food.

The offer is tempting— join a club, get some cupcakes. Simple enough, I guess. My suspicion begins to rise. But what if it's horrible? What if it's boring? What if I need to spend time even outside of the club doing mundane stuff related to Said club? And the cupcakes may not even be that good. But... by my standards, in this situation, the payoff outweighs the consequences. I let out a long sigh, quietly cursing my weakness for baked goods.

"Fine. I'll drop by for a cupcake."

Sayori grins widely and does a little fist pump. "Yes~ lets go! Everyone's waiting!"

"Alright, okay." I relax a bit. "Let's go."

She takes me by the hand and leads me out into the hallway, then downstairs. Most of the clubs are held in classrooms, so maybe it's on the first floor? Sayori excitedly leads me, without saying a word. We pass by empty classroom after empty classroom. Most students have left the school by now, spare for a few still roaming the hallway or the occasional club in a class. As we walk, Sayori talks about the club at length.

"Oh, you're going to love it!" Sayori prattles on, voice echoing a bit in the empty hallways. " There's me, Yuri, Natsuki... and Monika!"

I pause a moment, waiting for her to continue. But she just keep walking, the only sound in the hallway our footsteps.

"That's it?" I ask tentatively. "Only four of you?"

"Mmhmm!" Sayori smiles, looking over her shoulder at me. "Just us. Thats why everyone as so happy after they heard there would be a new member!"

I grimace at her calling me a "new member." I don't want to commit do anything I hardly know about.

"Hey, that reminds me, what's this club even—"

Sayori cuts me off. "And im the Vice President of the literature club!"

My heart drops. Literature? Not even remotely related to any of my interests. Manga, possibly, but in something as formal sounding as "Literature Club", they must be reading and analyzing Shakespeare or something. That's not a fun activity— that's just actual work! I stop in my tracks.

Sayori tugs on my hand. "MC? Are you coming?"

I sigh. "Sayori, a literature club? I'm sorry, I don't think I'm interested."

Sayori drops her hands and whines. "Come ooooon! We're almost there! Just check it out, please?"

I hesitate, furrowing my brow. Exhaling slowly, i throw my hands above my head. "Fine. In and out, just real quick."

Sayori sighs with relief. "Okay, good! You scared me, MC."

I mutter a halfhearted "Yeah, Yeah." When Sayori takes any hand again. She's more careful about how she talks about the club now— saying things like "I promise you'll like it" "everyone's really nice" "it's tons of fun!"

Sayori's walking gets slower as we near the edge of the building. We've gone down a hallway I've never been to before. It's dusty, and some of the lights are out. I'm beginning to get a bit confused. This doesn't look like the type of place a Literature Club would be. We reach a door that leads to, what I assume, outside. "Sayori?" I say quietly.

Sayori is quiet for a moment, then speaks up. "MC..." she says. "I— I want you to keep an open mind about this, okay? Just— this club means a lot to me, and.. it may be... kind of weird, but... it's fun." She turns around, and looks up at me. "It's helped me a lot."

I'm confused even more now, and a little bit worried. "Sayori?" I ask. "Are you okay?"

Sayori nods. "Yeah. I just... want you to understand how much this means to me."

Uh-oh. Is this... some kind of weird thing? Like a cult? Sayori wouldn't join a cult. She's not that kind of person. But A chill still shoots down my spine at the thought. Before I can protest, sayori grips my hand tighter, and knocks on the door. It's a loud rapping sound. After four knocks in even succession, it creaks open slightly, held barely shut by a sliding chain lock.

"Password?" A female voice says. It's light, but professional. Very kind. It almost eases my nerves.

"Doki Doki." Sayori says.

The door slams shut, and I jump. I hear the sliding lock open, then the door opens once more. Sayori leads me in.

The room is dark— but spacious, I can tell. The air is cool, and not at all dank. It isn't a storage closet, but we aren't outside. I hear the door slam shut behind me, and I squeak. Sayori is still gripping my hand. I hear a light flick on, and am temporarily blinded by the white light. I blink, shielding my eyes.

"Everyone!" Sayori says, excited. "The fresh meat is here!" At my look of fear, Sayori giggles. "Sorry! I meant new member."

I look around. It's a classroom— sort of. The desks are pushed to the walls and are dusty, as if they haven't been used even once. The windows are shut, as are the blinds. There's a closet in the back. It looks like any other classroom, But for the most part, it's not as horrifying as I thought.

Then I see the three girls. The first is a tall, slim young lady with long purple hair. she has a hair clip in a section of her bangs, and seems slightly nervous. She is looking at me cautiously. "Welcome to the Literature club." She says, her voice firm but quiet, as if she is mustering all the strength she can to be brave. "It's wonderful to meet you. Sayori has said many nice things about you."

She's pretty nice. And it doesn't hurt either that's she's also pretty attractive. Not to mention polite, and... my gaze almost wanders to her bust... Well endowed. But my focus on her is distracted by a voice behind me, by the door— the person who switched the light on?

I turn around at the sound of a frustrated groan. A small, thin girl stands there. She has short pink hair, with two pigtails tied with thin red bows and an X shaped clip in her hair. She walks up to Sayori and puts her hands on her hips. "Seriously? You brought a boy?" She says. The girl rolls her eyes. "Way to kill the atmosphere, Sayori."

She's very cute, very girlish in her charm. She has wide eyes and a clear complexion. But before I can even process her, another girl comes into my view.

A girl with long, brown hair in a ponytail tied in a white bow smiles at me, and holds out a hand to shake. She's familiar— I know her name is Monika. "You're MC, right? What a nice surprise!" I take it carefully, still a little surprised from the situation. "Welcome to the club." She greets me, smiling kindly.

I stay quiet, slightly shocked. I'm not entirely sure what to say. The last thing I expected in a club as boring as a literature club and as scary as the trip I just made... was a group of incredibly cute girls! I swallow.

The shorter girl stink-eyes me. "What are you staring at? If you want to say something, say it."

She catches me off guard, and I apologize. "S-sorry.." I manage to choke out.

The tallest, dark haired girl looks at the other. "Natsuki." She says, almost scolding her. Her tone is firm and even.

The sour girl, who's name seems to be Natsuki, folds her arms and looks away dismissively. Is this the same Natsuki that made cupcakes?

Sayori giggles and walks up to Natsuki, slinging an arm around her. "You can just ignore her once she gets all moody~" she says, pinching Natsukis cheek. Natsuki swats her hand away with a "humph!"

"Anyway!" Sayori exclaims, pointing towards me. "MC, this is Natsuki. Short but sweet!" Natsuki gets noticeably more upset at this, and grumbles, but I can see a blush spread on her face.

Sayori prances over to the purple-haired girl and puts a hand on her shoulder. "This is Yuri! Probably the smartest in the club!"

Yuri looks away, nervously stroking a strand of hair that has fallen over her shoulder in her fingers. "D-don't say things like that, Sayori." She mumbles. I notice Yuri seems much more mature, yet timid compared to Natsuki and Sayori. I have empathy for her— I deal with Sayori almost daily, and have a rough time keeping up.

"Ah..." I say, finding my voice. "It's nice to meet both of you." I say it earnestly as possible to make up for the embarrassing introductions by Sayori.

"And this is—" Sayori begins, approaching Monika when I cut her off.

"Monika." I finish, looking at her. Monika smiles and nods.

"That's right! Nice to see you again, MC."

We do know each other— well, vaguely. It's not like we really talked casually. We shared homeroom together last year. Monika has had a bigger group of friends than me, and they're about as separate as they could get. She was pretty popular, getting straight As, and one of the sports allstars in school. She was a wunderkid, basically.

And, not to mention, incredibly out of my league. But to see her smile at me so genuinely— it sends shivers down my back.

"N-nice to see you too." I reply, cursing my shaky voice.

Sayori claps her hands together. "Okay! Now that introductions are out of the way, let's get to know each other a bit better." She pulls up a chair from the back of the room and pats on it, signaling me to sit.

"Sure, i guess." I do so carefully, brushing the dust off the chair. Everyone else pulls up on as well, and forms the five chairs into a circle. Sayori smiles, leaning over her chair and resting her hands on the back. "Okay! I'll go first. Hello, everyone!"

Everyone says hello back. They must be very accustomed to Sayori's oddities by now.

"I'm Sayori, im In my second year, and I'm the one who brought MC here!" She points to me. "I love the Literature club because it's fun and I love spending time with all my friends."

"Gushy as usual, Sayori." Monika laughs.

Yuri is next to her, so she pipes up. Her voice is light. "Hello. I'm Yuri. I'm in my third year... and I enjoy the literature club because the art of... er, literature... is very interesting." She concludes.

Natsuki is next. "Hi, you all already know me, but I'm Natsuki. I'm a third year, and i come to the literature club because it helps me relax."

I'm next. "Uh, hi, everyone."

Sayori says an enthusiastic "hi!" Back. Yuri gives me a little wave. Natsuki just kind of says "hey." Monika greets me with a "hello, MC."

"I'm, Uh, MC. I'm a second year. I came because Sayori told me to."

That gets a chuckle out of Monika, who's next. "Hello, im Monika, Im a third year and the president of the Literature Club. I enjoy being here because I like organizing sessions and watching everyone have fun."

Sayori claps her hands together. "Okay! Now that we all know each other—"

"We already did." Natsuki Says.

"Let's go eat some cupcakes! I'll go get them."

Natsuki shoots out of her chair. "Hey!" She exclaims. "I made them, I'll get them." She hurriedly makes her way to the front of the room, where the teachers desk is pushed to the wall. As Natsuki carefully picks up the tinfoil-covered tray, I wonder why all the desks are pushed back. Isn't it inconvenient, especially if this is a Literature Club?

Before I can ask any questions, Natsuki comes back. Sayori apologizes to her as she does. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away."

Yuri smiles slightly. "How about I make some tea, then? It helps soothe my nerves." She gets up, and Sayori goes over to help. Natsuki puts the tray down on her chair, and looks at Monika and I. "Don't even think about eating any yet!" She says mostly to me. "Wait for everyone else."

"Ok." I say. Natsuki walks off to join Yuri and Sayori with their tea making. That just leaves me and Monika, sitting quietly. I clear my throat— I'm not sure what I should do, sitting next to Monika, so close and so alone.

Her voice surprises me, breaking me out of my thoughts. "So..." she says. "What made you want to join the club?"

"Huh?" I say. I was hoping this question wouldn't come up. "Well... sayori just wanted me to join a club. And she's in this one, and she just kept asking, so... I kinda caved." I chuckle.

Monika smiles. "I'm glad you chose this one. I'm proud of you to make a decision like this one— Sayori said you've never had any experience in this before."

I shrug. "Yeah, I guess. Neither has she, I don't think."

Monika hums. "Well, I hope you like it as much as everyone else does. I'm sure you know what we do is a little... unorthodox. But, I'm sure you'll have fun. That's what we're here for, right? To have fun." Yuri comes over, holding two teacups. She hands one to me, and then one to Monika. Monika thanks her and then takes a sip. I thank her, and Yuri blushes quietly with a "you're welcome". She heads back to her kettle, presumably to pour three other cups.

As Monika takes a sip, I reply, staring into my cup. I swirl around my tea a bit, it's still too hot to drink. "Yeah, I hope I'll have fun too... even though I'm not that into reading and stuff."

Monika chokes on her drink for a moment, catching herself before she sputters and spits. Before any tea can drip, she puts down her cup on the floor and wipes her mouth with her sleeve. I assume it's because the tea was too hot, but I realize I must have said something wrong. "I'm Sorry?" She asks.

"I-is that offensive? I'm really sorry." I hurriedly apologize. "I'm not all that into books, but I can try. I-I do like manga!" I desperately grasp for something to say.

As I'm floundering for an excuse to make up for whatever it was I said, Monika sighs. "Sayori." She says under her breath.

Before I can say anything, she smiles, stands up and says "just a second." She walks over to Sayori and leads her to the back of the room, where all the desks are pushed. They seem to be talking quietly about something.

Natsuki and Yuri come over, holding their teas. Natsuki places hers down and begins to lift the foil on the tray, seemingly ready to display her cupcakes. "Okay, who's ready—?" She begins to grin, then sees that I am the only one sitting here. She looks to the back of the room, where it seems like Monika is quietly chastising Sayori.

"Oh, dear." Yuri says quietly.

"What's THAT all about?" Natsuki asks. She looks over to me. "Did you do something?"

"No, I—" Monika comes over, thankfully interrupting me. Sayori looks ashamed, looking to the floor.

"It's has come to my attention," Monika begins. "That MC May be under some... false pretenses under what this club is about."

"Why're you talking all formal like that? I-" Natsuki's face suddenly pales, then she looks at me. "Oh."

"Oh, dear." Yuri says again, even softer this time. she lifts the two teas in her hands to her face, almost covering her eyes.

"What?" I ask, worrying. "Is— is there something wrong?"

"Yes," Monika says. "But it's not your fault."

"Well— What is it?"

Monika bites her lip, then looks over to the tray of cupcakes. "Let's... talk about it over cupcakes. Natsuki?"

Natsuki jumps a bit, then nods once she settles. "Geez, now the mood is spoiled, but, whatever... ta-da." She lifts the tinfoil to reveal the cupcakes.

Sayori lifts her head a bit to look, then her eyes light up. "Ooooh!" The "ooooh" is justified, as I see a dozen beautiful cupcakes. It looks like six are chocolate and six are vanilla, and they are all frosted with a thick and fluffy icing. They are designed to look like little cats, with chocolate chips for eyes. There's fondant to make the ears, and intricate lines of black frosting were made for whiskers. They are, I have to admit even in this tense moment, very cute.

Sayori excitedly sits down, then looks up at Monika. "Can I still have one?"

Monika sighs, then can't help but smile. "Sure, Sayori. You can still have a cupcake."

Sayori barely holds back a squeal as she grabs a cake off the tray. Monika sits down next to me again and looks at the batch, inspecting it. "Wow, Natsuki. I had no idea you were so good at baking."

Natsuki can't help but smile. Pride scoots it's way onto her little face. "Ehehe. Well, you know..." she sits down and picks one up as well.

She passes the tray around to Yuri, who picks a chocolate one. She in turn passes it to Monika, who also chooses chocolate. The air still isn't quite relaxed, and I don't really feel like having a cupcake now— ironic, as it was the first reason I even came here. I pick one at random.

After everyone chooses a cupcake, Monika clears her throat, placing her cupcake on the floor next to her tea. "Well," She says. "This isn't something to try and avoid." She turns to me. "This isn't a Literature Club."

"It's not?" I say, not meaning to. My thoughts just escaped me. I turn to Sayori, who is snarfing down her cupcake. "Why did you lie to me?"

Sayori stops mid-bite (though she's basically crammed the entire thing in her mouth at this point) and slowly chews, with icing already smeared on her face. She signals that she can't talk because her mouth is full, but I have a sneaking suspicion she did this on purpose. I sigh and turn back to Monika.

Monika adverts her gaze from me and continues. "As I said... this isn't a Literature Club. But Sayori didn't exactly lie to you."

"This club is the Literature Club." Yuri pipes up. "That's what we refer to it as, at least. But we aren't... exactly... focused on... literature..." Yuris voice fades out slowly, apparently growing shyer as more people look at her.

"Really?" I raise an eyebrow. "Then... what do you do here?"

The four girls nervously exchange glances. Yuri rubs her neck and takes a long sip of tea. Monika tries to look professional, but is beginning to almost visually sweat. Natsuki is getting fidgety. Sayori crams another cupcake in her mouth.

Finally, after an immeasurable time, Natsuki finally shouts. "Augh! Geez! We fight each other!"

I blink. "What?"

"We—" Monika begins, urgency in her voice. The president of the club almost sounds panicked at this statement— But i am surprised when She gives up after not even a moment, almost deflating. "We... yes. We fight each other."

I blink again. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's known as recreational combat." Yuri pipes up again. "We... ah... you know how... when you get upset, you want to fight someone?"

Sayori finally seems to finish her cupcake, because she says something. "That's what we do!" Her voice is thick with icing. "It's... it sounds a lot worse saying it out loud, but... I promise, it's not that bad!"

Even after all this, im still confused. I have so many questions. But the first one I ask myself is— are they serious?Are they ACTUALLY serious? I look around at the faces of everyone. There's no hint of laughter on Sayori's face that would give away a joke. As if she read my mind, she nods

So they are serious.

The rest of the questions come flooding in. Who would want to do this? Why did the school let them do this? Did the school even let them do this, or is this some kind of illegal fighting ring? Oh god— is this illegal?! Do they get really hurt? How long has sayori been doing this? Why do they think that it's "fun"? I shake my head, rubbing my eyes.

"So..." I start, slow. "You're telling me that this Literature Club is... some kind of undercover fight club?"

The air is quiet for a moment before yuri states "that's essentially what it is, yes."

"What, do you all hate each other or something?" I say before I can stop myself. "Why would you want to fight each other?"

"No!" Sayori exclaims, shaking her head in denial. "I love these guys! I love the club! It's just—-" she exhales, hard. "I don't know! It helps me! It's good to get all those feelings out through just kinda..." She pantomimes punching. "It's—" Before she can continue, her voice cracks. Natsuki pats her back gently, comforting her.

Monika rests a hand on my shoulder. "I know it's.. odd. And difficult to understand. But... Sayori said you do have some stressors in life that might be good for you to get out."

"Stressors? By fighting people? I don't want to fight anyone, least of all my best friend!" I gesture to Sayori.

Sayori looks at me and exhales. "It's not like we fight because we don't like each other. We fight because we do!"

I stand up, confusion turning into anger. "What?! That doesn't make any kind of sense. Sayori," I say. "Why are you doing this? Why did you lie to me?"

Yuri breaks into the conversation. "Please." She says. "Please, calm down." Her soothing voice almost calms me, but a hardness in me is stubborn. I sit down, at the very least.

The room is quiet. There's no noise but the soft chatter of tea cups and quiet crinkle of cupcake wrappers. To distract myself, i stare into my lap and I take my first bite into the cupcake. It's good, but it doesn't get the bitter taste of fear and confusion out of my mouth. Everyone sits, sipping tea and eating cupcakes.

"I... I lied to you because you wouldn't say yes if I told you."Sayori's voice raises an octave, straining as if she's about to cry.

"And you thought I would if you lied to me?" I fire back.

Monika speaks up again. "I understand if you don't want to join." She starts. "Before you say anything else, I just ask you one thing. "

I stay quiet, staring into my cupcake. Monika continues.

"Please, don't tell anyone. The school board will have us expelled."

"Undoubtedly." Yuri replies, voice muffled by her lips on the cup.

"Yeah..." natsuki says. She looks deflated. Sayori stays quiet.

"And... this is something that's special to us. I understand if you want to go."

"To be fair..." Sayori says, picking her empty cup up off the floor. "It's not everyone's... cup of tea!" She forces a grin.

I force one back.

"So... " Monika stands up. "You can go, if you want. We get it. Just... don't say anything."

Before I can protest, Natsuki interjects. "And if you don't want to be a good friend and at least hang out and watch, that's fine too." She grumbles.

Yuri simply nods, adverting her eyes and sipping her tea.

I nod. Putting my cupcake wrapper on the chair, I stand slowly. I try my best not to look at Sayori, but I know inside she must be devastated. I think about how much this means to her— But I don't get it. I don't get any of this.

I look over to Natsuki. "Thanks for the cupcakes." I say. She doesn't even look at me, just bunches up her skirt in her little fists.

I look over to Yuri. "Thank you for the tea." She replies with another low, mumbled "you're welcome."

I walk over to the door, footsteps and the creaking of the wooden floor are the only sounds in the room. I don't turn around. I begin to open the door when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to see Monika, holding a cupcake and smiling sadly. "Here." She says, handing it to me. "One for the road."

I take it, smiling back out of politeness. "Thanks."

"...thanks for at least giving us a chance." She says, hands behind her back. "And... for keeping us a secret." She looks at the girls in the circle, still quiet.

"I... guess I'll see you later then." Monika says, walking over to the circle again. As she turns away, I open the door and leave, shutting it behind me.

Once the door closes, and as soon as I hear the click of the lock, it's as if a switch is flipped. My feet don't move. All I think of is Sayori's face, tears welling up in her eyes— my frustration suddenly flips to regret. The emotional change almost gives me whiplash, and I'm left with a pit in my stomach. What was I thinking? Being so rude, being so mean to her friends—Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika seemed like fine enough people. They were nice. Sayori seemed to enjoy being around them.

My mind snaps back into the mentality I had while sitting next to sayori, once again giving me vertigo. A bunch of people beating each other up for fun?! Geez. They must be crazy. That must be torture— just punching and kicking at one another until you wear out. No wonder Sayori would always be so tired. I wondered if she had ever gotten hurt, and my anger morphed into fear. But... I sigh. Its not the worst thing that it could have been. She seemed to be acting like she always did..

So many thoughts swirled in my head. How all these seemingly good-looking and well behaved girls would be... like this. Frustration, fear, confusion, and other emotions seemed to blend together in my mind relentlessly. My thoughts just thrashed, morphing into one another and not giving me enough time to process them. I exhaled slowly, leaning my weight against the wall. I slid down until I was sitting, carefully holding the cupcake Monika gave me in my hands.

I stared at it for a bit. Looking into its chocolate-chip cat eyes. It just blankly looked back at me.

I think about all the girls— the kindness of Monika, the familiarity of Sayori, the gentleness of Yuri, and the fiery spirit of Natsuki. They all seemed... good. Normal. Nice to be around. I enjoyed their company, and they seemed to enjoy mine. Not to mention, I think, my face flushing. They were all pretty cute. And fighting? Why did I get so upset over that? How different could it be over self-defense techniques, or karate, or kickboxing or whatever? I'm sure even if things did get heated, they wouldn't let it get out of hand. They were all reasonable. They were all kind. They were all kind... to me.

And my heart pangs even harder when I realized how much they welcomed me. This club was a huge secret— threatening them all to get expelled. This is serious, this is private, but they welcomed me. They let a complete stranger into a group that was close and personal, and I spat on it.I rub my eyes, frustrated now at myself. What was I thinking? I look back at the cupcake cat. It just looks back at me with its empty, chocolatey eyes. I imagined Sayori looking as blank as that.

I didn't mean to leave her behind. Not again, and certainly not like this.

Before I know it, i'm up on my feet again, cupcake in hand. I find myself knocking my knuckles against the door four times in succession. The hallway is quiet, the air thick with anticipation. No one answers the door.

Silence seems to penetrate my body. I exhale. Of course they wouldn't let me back in, Why would I expect them to? I just hope that Sayori gets home well. I cringe at the thought of seeing the girls in the hallways; I hope they'll be kind to me. After lingering in front of the door, i decide it's time to leave. Turning on my heel, I begin to walk away when I hear the door slowly creak.

"...Password?" A voice I've heard ever since I was young says.

I smile, weights lifting off my chest. "Doki Doki."

The door is thrown open, revealing an open-mouthed grinning Sayori. Her eyes are a little red, but she is still smiling. I can see Natsuki, Yuri, and Monika peering their way into the frame. Their faces all relax when they see me— Yuri gently smiling, Natsuki looking satisfied yet proud, and Monika smirks, as if she knew I'd be back.

And, as I'm getting used to, something cuts me off before I can say anything. Sayori leaps into my arms, hugging me tightly around the neck. I'm taken aback, and also lose my breath. But, I begin to hug her back as she starts to chatter on relentlessly in my ear about how great this is going to be. I just listen as she rambles, patting her on the back.

Sayori turns around to the other girls, smiling. The three come out into the hallway, and Sayori pulls them all into the hug. Monika is accepting, but Yuri and Natsuki are reluctant. But, miraculously, four beautiful girls have their arms wrapped around me in a hug. I smile, face flushed. After a minute or so of cathartic hugging, Sayori asks me "So... does this mean you're joining us?"

I hesitate. I didn't want to leave Sayori alone, or miss the opportunity to hang out with everyone... but of course, I need to figure everything out. This is entirely new to me, and I have no clue what to expect. But... a voice in the back of my head says I have plenary of time to learn. And, four beautiful girls to help me learn.

I look at Sayori. "Absolutely."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It's the next day, school seems to drag on for hours on end. Now that I think about it, I'm kind of surprised about how bored I am. After the events of yesterday, I imagined I would be much more shaken up by what had happened. Knowing your best friend is part of a fighting ring filled with nothing but cute high schoolers would probably put a damper on your relationship, wouldn't it? Surprisingly, no. She's still the same Sayori as ever. And, even more surprisingly, I feel even closer to her for it. Of course, it's still odd, and I'm still nervous for my first real club meeting... but there's more anticipation than anxiety.

Sayori told me on our way to school today that it felt good to talk about the club with someone, since it was something she really enjoyed doing. Especially since she wasn't allowed to talk about it, bottling up how happy it made her just made her want to talk about it more. As we made our was to school, she briefed me a little bit on regulations and cleared up misconceptions I had— which I had plenty of. Before aw could get to the real juicy stuff, we went to our separate classes, and the wait began.

The final bell finally rings, and I feel almost an odd excitement. My stomach flips as I pick up my backpack as well as my duffel bag. I've prepared so I wouldn't do anything wrong— I brought a water bottle, some sports tape, athletic wear, and band-aids. I pick up my extra bag and make my way down to the club room, reminding myself to keep my mind open.

I finally reach the door, say the password (what does "Doki Doki" even mean, anyway?) and come in. Everyone except Sayori is here, and Monika greets me at the door.

"Hi, MC!" Monika greets me with a smile. "Glad you didn't run away on us, haha!"

"Nah, don't worry." I reply, setting my bag down.

"Oh, I think I have a right to." She jokes slightly, giggling.

"Hey, I might be new to this, but at least I keep my word." I say.

Yuri walks over from the back of the room. "Hello, MC." She says gently. "It's nice to see you've come back."

"Good to be back." I reply. "Where are Natsuki and Sayori?"

"Natsuki's reading, and Sayori isn't here yet." Monika says.

"Oh, so there is Literature happening in here?" I joke, looking at Natsuki in the corner. She seems to be completely absorbed in her book. It seems to be... Manga? A connection sparks— finally, something I understand! I want to ask her what kinds of Manga shes interested in, but she looks completely detached from the world, and I wouldn't want to disturb her, considering how easily irritable she is.

Yuri continues. "I... just wanted to say I'm happy you're back. And that— I hope this isn't too overwhelming a commitment for you... making you dive headfirst into fighting with no experience. I understand it can be intimidating, so I want to help you as much as I can."

I begin to thank her when Natsuki pipes up from the corner. "Oh, please!" She says. "Like he deserves any slack. Sayori told us you didn't even want to join the club. You better not be here to just hang out or something, and don't expect free cupcakes every day."

Monika sighs. "Sorry. She's just a little upset over the fake-out yesterday."

"Right..." I say, a little embarrassed. I still feel bad for almost bailing out. But I hope everyone has fully forgiven me by now.

Monika turns to Natsuki with a small smile. "Besides, you really do have an attitude for someone who keeps her manga collection in the club room."

Natsuki's shoulders stiffen, and her fingers tense on her book, almost crumpling the paperback cover. "M-m-m—" She gets stuck between Monika and Manga.

My train of thought derails when I hear the normal four knocks on the door. After a Password check, Sayori comes in, breathing heavily.

"Ahh!" She wheezes. "So sorry I'm late! Did you start without me?"

Yuri shakes her head. "No, we waited for you."

Sayori breathes a sigh of relief, then sees my duffel bag on the floor. "What's In the bag, MC?" She asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Oh!" I exclaim, going to open the bag. I pull out the water bottle and band-aids. "Just... some supplies."

I can hear Natsuki stifle a snicker as she puts away her manga. I see Yuri smile sweetly out of the corner of my eye and look to Monika, who lifts a hand to her grinning mouth. Sayori openly "awww"s. "MC," She says. "You didn't have to bring all this stuff!"

"Man, you really are a rookie, huh?" Natsuki says walking over.

"I guess MC just likes doing stuff to help out!" Sayori turns to the shorter girl. "They Really are prepared. They also usually help me with busywork, like cleaning my room and stuff."

"Really?" Yuri asks. "How dependable."

"Well," I begin, putting my stuff back in the bag. "That's just because your room is so messy it's distracting. You almost set your house on fire once!"

"Oh, that was only once." She says, pushing her fingertips together.

"You two are very close, aren't you?" Yuri says in her smooth, even tone. "I might be a little jealous." She laughs lightly.

"What do you mean?" Sayori asks genuinely. "You can still become close friends!"

"Uh-uhm..." yuri stutters, stroking a strand of her hair nervously.

As per usual, Sayori seems oblivious to the awkward situation she put me into. I flush slightly as Yuri looks away quietly.

"Oh!" Sayori exclaims. "By the way, Yuri has a gift for you!" She gestures to Yuri, doing energetic jazz hands.

"A-ah!" Yuri sputters, trying to quiet Sayori down. "Wait, Sayori..."

"Eh? For me?" I ask, surprised.

"N-no, not really." She tries to make Sayori shut up, and timidly darts her eyes to and from me.

"What is it, Yuri?" I try to ask.

"Nothing, it's nothing... Sayori made it seem like it's a bigger deal than it actually is..." she mumbles to herself a bit. "Oh, what should I do..."

"Eh?" Sayori questions. "I'm sorry, Yuri, I didn't mean to embarrass you or anything. I wasn't thinking."

Despite her apologies, Yuri is still embarrassed. I guess I have to rescue this situation.. "hey, you don't have to worry about it." I say kindly, hoping it will calm Yuri a bit. "I wasn't expecting anything, so i'll appreciate whatever it is you get me, especially if it'll help introduce me to fighting a bit. Whatever you give me will be a pleasant surprise."

Yuri looks up at me, still fidgeting with her hair. Her eyes are slim, yet piercing— you could get lost in them for hours. My face heats up.

"I-is That so..." she asks, clasping a hand to her chest.

I nod. "Yeah, I won't make it a big deal if you don't want."

"I see." Yuri seems to decide on something. She stoops down to her bag, rummages through it, and pulls out a paper. "In that case... h-here!"

She holds it in front of her like a someone giving a love note to their crush. I push away the thought, an even hotter wave of heat flowing across my face. I take it from her hands and unfold it, reading the contents inside— it seems to be a list of helpful fighting techniques, such as how to block punches and absorb hits, as well as get good lands on people. I smile.

"I didn't want you to feel left out on your first day, so.. I made you this." She explains, seeming to be more comfortable as she continues talking. "This really helped me when I first started. Even if it's your first time, these should all help a lot. I made some diagrams that were easy for a beginner to understand, and, uh..." she goes back to nervously fiddling with her hair. "We could practice it... if you wanted..."

This is... how is this mature girl being so cute?! And giving me the same things that helped her a lot so I can succeed too... she really is so nice! To choose something for a complete beginner like me, and want to help...

"Yuri, thank you! I'll definitely use this."

"Phew." She sighs, looking relieved. "You can practice at your own pace, of course." She says, smiling to herself. "I look forward to training with you."

After a moment of looking over the diagrams, Yuri goes to read her book a desk in the back of the room. She has an intense expression, as if she did something that requires a lot of effort. I notice Sayori and Monika having a cheery conversation— most likely deciding what activities to do today, especially ones that would be good for a novice like me. I smile at the thought.

After a few minutes, I expect Monika to organize something to do— possibly stage a fight, or set it up, or however it works... maybe it just happens? I begin to grow tired. My anticipation of the club has worn down, and there's more sitting around than actual fighting in this fight club. Yuri is reading a book in the corner, and Natsuki seems to be organizing books — more manga?— in the closet. Bored, I listen in on Sayori and Monikas conversation.

"I'm just not sure about this, Monika." Sayori says. "We have to be careful." Her voice is tinged with worry.

"I know, I know." Says Monika. "We can give an excuse why we can't sign up for the festival. It isn't mandatory."

"Yeah... and 'Literature Club' doesn't sound like the kind of things that would interest a student anyway." Sayori says, a bit of hope in her voice. "We can just say we don't want to waste people's time?"

"Sure, something like that."

Are they talking about getting found out? I knew already there was a festival coming up, but I didn't know clubs were actually urged to sign up. The two girls were probably thinking of ways to get out of it. If the school found out that they were part of a fight club, they're be ruined. I grimaced at the thought. Yikes. I wouldn't want to be around when that happened...

But, if it did, I would be. I tell myself. Because I'm a part of this club now. And these are my friends.

I tune back into the conversation, and they appear to now be talking about cupcakes. No doubt a topic brought up by Sayori. She really could turn on a dime— from serious because of a threat of being expelled to craving baked goods. That was the Sayori I knew.

"Do we have any cupcakes left over?" She asked.

Monika hummed. "No, I'm not sure."

"We should have Natsuki make some more!" Sayori exclaimed.

Monika laughed awkwardly. "Any particular reason?"

"Nope!" Sayori said cheerfully. "Just after a stressful situation, cupcakes always calm me down. Man, I'm hungry..."

Monika sighs. "Anyway, we need to work out our cover for if we get a faculty check..."

I find myself smiling for a second. That's what i like about Sayori— she always seems to find happiness and motivation in anything, even serious things can be made more sweet and lighthearted with her. A contradiction to me, who is often unable to find motivation in anything. Sayori can put her mind to anything and really let it spring into life. Maybe that's why I let her lead me into situations like this... I can't help but wonder what it would like to see the world through her eyes.

I open up my own to stare straight into hers. Her face is inches away from mine, deep pools of blue swimming in front of me. I don't have time to appreciate how pretty her eyes are when i get shocked by the sudden jumpscare. "Uwaah!" I exclaim involuntarily. I nearly fall off the desk I was sitting on.

She jumps back, standing straight up, giggling. "Ehe! I'm sorry." Her face shifts from carefree to irritated. "Actually... I'm not! It's your fault for falling isn't the napping club!"

"Is there a napping club at school?" I ask drowsily, rubbing my eye.

"You're staying up late again, aren't you?" Sayori crosses her arms and shakes her head. "Now that you're in the Literature Club, you need to get more sleep! You're gonna be tired all the time if you don't get proper rest."

"Hey, don't say it so loud..." I check to see if anyone heard. Yuri and Natsuki are still absorbed in their respective books, and Monika seems to be busy with something else. "I know, I know." I say dismissively. "You're always looking out for me, Sayori."

She giggles. "I know! I'm good at it, aren't I?"

I humor her. "Yes you are, but you're one to talk about sleep."

She looks nervous for a second. "Eh? What do you mean?"

"You're oversleeping every day! And you're the one telling me about getting tired out?"

"Well..." Sayori pushes her fingertips together. "I've been a part of the Literature Club longer, so I'm allowed to do that!" I can tell she's floundering for an excuse.

She can see I'm not buying it and groans. "Come onnnnn! At least give me the benefit of the doubt."

"Not if you're going to lecture me on things you can't do yourself!" I tease. "Cmon, I can tell you overslept, it's written all over you."

"Eh?" Sayori examines herself. For a moment, I think she's actually looking for writing on her and trying to be goofy, but she looks at me with genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Your hair is sticking out all right here, for one." I try to flatten out the hair on the right side of Sayori's head, running my fingertips down it.

"It's Just hard to straighten out!" She pouts. "It's not like it matters how I look if I'm going to just be fighting you guys. I'm not here to look pretty!" She pantomimes getting in a fight with someone, throwing punches. I laugh.

"Well, the person you're fighting is definitely going to take advantage of that open blazer and yank it." I gesture to her jacket, which is completely unbuttoned.

"Hey, cmon! No one would do that." She counters, crossing her arms.

"You sure?" I stand up. "Just let me button them. You'll change your mind once you see how much better it looks."

Sayori let's out a little "hmph" But doesn't protest. I take her jacket in my hands and begin to button up her blazer from the bottom. I try my best not to meet her gaze as I button, and can almost feel her breath on my face as I do so. I hear her begin to laugh a bit.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"Well..." She says, stifling a laugh. "It's just kinda funny to have a friend who cares about this kinda stuff. Like... you care more about how I wear my blazer than the fact that I'm in a fight club."

"Hey, I still care about that." I say, making my way to the top of her blazer. "Im just more focused on the blazer right now." I blush a little when thinking about the undertones of what she said. "A-and don't say stuff like that, stupid! It makes me feel weird."

After a beat, Sayori speaks. "I'm happy we're like this." She says. "Aren't you?"

"Ah—" i start, But am stuck on the top button. Desperate to not answer such an awkwardly emotional question, I focus on that instead. I try to close it.

"Why won't this button?" I ask. Sayori looks down in confusion. "Does this not fit you?" I ask her.

"I did when I bought it." She says, shrugging. Then her face lights up suddenly. "This means my bust got bigger again!"

I hush her, embarrassed. "D-don't say that out loud! Its embarrassing!"

"He he, sorry~" she grins playfully, then steps back. It's odd to see her blazer all buttoned up like that. It's.. awkward, to say the least. Out of place. She doesn't seem to enjoy it either, because she scrunches her shoulders together. "Ugh, it's so stuffy." She complains. She unbuttons her blazer, undoing all my work all before I can do anything. I groan.

"Ahh, much better!" She twirls, her jacket breezing outwards as she spins.

"Won't that get in the way during the fights?" I ask.

"Oh, you didn't know? We don't wear our uniforms during fights."

"Then why did I do all that?"

"Ehehe, just felt like messing with you." She sticks out her tongue. "Besides... I just like being close to you!"

That last part is even more embarrassing than what she said before. "Huh?"

"MC, I really am glad that you joined the Literature Club." She looks up at me and grins. "So we can do fun stuff like this every day!"

"Stop saying all these humiliating things!" I say. I know she means well, but Sayori can really make a situation uncomfortable.

"Eh? I didn't say anything humiliating!" She pouts.

I sigh, dropping the subject. "Fine. I'll stop hounding you as long as you wake up on time."

"I'll stop embarrassing you as long as you go to sleep on time!" She fires back, not missing a beat.

"Alright." I give in. "Deal." I hope my hand out to shake.

Sayori smiles and clasps her hand around mine. "Good! I guess we really are better at taking care of each other than we are of ourselves!" She says it with a happy tone, but that isn't really something to be proud of... I chuckle.

"Yeah I guess so."

"Hey, if you're so good at waking up on time, why don't you come wake me up?" Sayori offers, dropping my hand.

"You're doing it again.." I chastise her.

Sayori whines. "Awww, But I was just joking that time!"

"It's hard to tell with you."

Sayori almost retorts, But Monika claps her hands together confidently. "Okay, Everyone!" She declares, standing in the center of the room, and we all look towards her. "Why don't we get started and show our new member the ropes?"

Sayori bounces on her feet, clapping happily. "Yay~ don't be nervous, MC! We'll take good care of you."

I can't help but be apprehensive— i have no clue what's going to happen. I fail to sound enthusiastic as She takes me by the hand and leads me to the back of the room. Everyone sits on top of a desk, Natsuki dog-earing a page in her manga and Yuri sliding a bookmark in where she left off. I sit were I was sleeping before, and Sayori sits to my right, with Yuri on the other side of her. Natsuki reluctantly takes my left. Monika stands in front of the room, smiling.

"Okay," Monika says, looking at all of us. "Normally, we would have started by now... but, because of our new member, I thought we should go over the rules today." She smiles at me. "But first, let's give MC A big hand for being brave enough to stick around."

I'm met with light applause, and even though theres only four people clapping for me, it feels nice. I smile.

"Now, MC," She says to me. "I'll brief you on the rules of Literature Club." She's met with whoops and hollers from the other members, Sayori and Natsuki cheering and Yuri applauding politely. I join in the applause.

"Rule one of Literature Club:" Monika raises a finger once everyone quiets down. "Do not talk about literature club." Everyone chuckles a bit, and I do too. "Rule two of Literature Club: do NOT talk about Literature Club."

The laughter goes down after Monika's in-joke, when I realize there's a bit of seriousness in it. If anyone were to really talk about the Literature Club, and the student council — or God forbid, the faculty— found out about it, we'd all be done for. Monika looks at Sayori. "It appears someone may have broken this rule."

Sayori gets upset. "Come ooooon! We can trust MC!"

"I was joking. It's okay, sayori." Monika assures her. She continues, pacing around the room. "Third Rule of Literature Club— if someone yells 'stop', goes limp, or taps out, that's it. Poetry session over."

Sayori leans over to me and whispers. "We call fights 'poetry sessions'." She smiles. "Pretty cool, Huh?"

I try and search deep into my mind to figure out in what Universe how 'poetry session' is cooler than 'fight'.

"Rule four:" Monika continued, beginning to pace. "Two readers to a session." I was beginning to pick on this literature-themed motif they had going on. Classy, but not exactly intimidating. It helps ease my nerves a bit. Just a bit.

Monika turns on her heel and begins to pace the other way. "Rule five: one session at a time— we only have so much space. Rule six: bare knuckle only. No uniform, no shoes, no weapons. That includes knives." She glances at Yuri for a moment, who looks away and flushes, touching her hair. I wonder why. "As well as no face shots or strikes that would leave visible marks— reference our school uniform."

"Seventh rule: sessions will go on as long as they have to. If you have finished your session, you may go home early. Dress any visual wounds before you go. And the eighth and final rule:" She turns on her heel, looks at me and smiles. "If this is your first time at literature club, you must have a session."

My stomach flips. I wasn't counting on going so early today; especially with much more experienced fighters— or, readers, i guess. I've barely looked over the training sheet Yuri gave me yet, and i already have to fight? I don't think I'm that ready for this. I pipe up.

"Uh... not to disrespect the sanctity of the Literature Club.." I say apprehensively. "But... could I do it later? I don't think I'm that ready."

Monika nods. "Absolutely! You don't have to go right away. In fact... Yuri, Natsuki." She gestures to the two to come up.

"Let's show MC what you can do."

Yuri nods with a gentle hum, and Natsuki grins with an enthusiastic "Alright!" The two walk up in front of us, to the center of the cleared room. "Standard style?"

Monika sits down next to me, and nods to the two girls. "Yeah. Let's keep it easy."

"Standard style?" I ask, confused by the terminology.

"Basically just no uniform, shoes, weapons... like I said in rule six. We don't want anyone to get hurt too bad, so we've never used any weapons." She explains. "Just some light stuff."

Light, I think to myself. Sure.

The two girls unbutton their blazers, Yuri meticulously undoing each button, folding it, and placing it on the ground behind her. Natsuki just rips hers off, hopefully not popping off any buttons. They slip off their shoes next, Yuri putting them neatly by her blazer and Natsuki just kicking them away. The smaller girl seems to be bouncing on her toes, already breathing a little heavily. "Okay, let's do this." She mumbled, rolling her neck. She shook out her hands and called out to Yuri, "don't hold back!"

The taller girl smiled, patiently stretching her arms side to side. She bundles her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head, chuckling. "Don't worry, Natsuki. I never do."

I begin to think about the logistics of these two girls against each other— Yuri is obviously much bigger, and seems to have more experience as well. Her slim build would make for a fast opponent, but her bust might make her clumsy, plus, they're basically two big targets on her chest. I shake my head at the thought— no time to be thinking about that. But, a more perverted part of me thinks. It's true.

Natsuki, on the other hand, seems more brash. Her tinier build could give her a more likely chance of slipping away and sneaking up on you. Her boisterous personality and stubbornness could lead to an elevated endurance, making it tougher to knock her down. However, she's very small— her thin fingers would most likely not deliver a tough punch. High defense, high speed, low power.

I hum slightly. This could be an interesting match.

"Hope you're ready to get a smack down laid on you," Natsuki says, partly serious, partly playful.

Yuri plays along. "You're going to hit the floor faster than Julius Caeser's last encounter with Brutus."

"Less chatter. Throw hands!" Sayori calls from beside me. She's surprisingly brutal.

Monika raises her hand. "Whenever you're ready, girls."

Yuri nods. "I'm ready."

Natsuki bounces, swaying a bit. "Yeah! Let's hurry up!"

"Alright..." She says, eyeing the two. She swipes her hand down, in the blink of an eye. "Go!"

Natsuki is immediate. She lunges at her opponent, leaping toward her midsection. I'm astonished at her speed. Yuri seems to almost be caught off guard, and ducks. Swiftly, she bows into a roll, then stands at the other side of the room. The two have switched places so quickly.

Sayori cheers. "Whooo! Go, girls, go!"

The two bounce on their feet, both each waiting for the other. Yuri is focused, but she looks like... she's having fun? Natsuki smiles and fake lunges, causing Yuri to side the other way. Too enthusiastic— She's slid right into Natsuki's trap. The little girl whips in a circle and elbows Yuri in the chest on her turn. Yuri cries out in surprise and staggers back. Loose strands of hair begin to fall out of her messy topknot.

"Yeah! Try n' catch up!" Natsuki brags, holding her hands up in a fighting stance. "Whoo!"

Sayori cheers. "Nice fake-out, Natsuki! Yeah!"

The more mature girl doesn't buy into it, just stays quiet with her eyes narrowed. Yuri comes in closer to Natsuki, almost daring her to throw a punch. Natsuki takes the bait, swiping at the taller girl. Yuri twirls out of the way, now able to take advantage of the situation. She lands a punch, a hard hit on Natsuki's side. The smaller girl yelps and jumps away.

"Hm. Now there's what will happen if you underestimate me." Yuri fires back, seemingly satisfied.

She fumes. "Ooh, you're going to get it now." She says through gritted teeth.

"The session's just started, and Natsuki's already mad..." Monika says to me quietly. "This could lead to a serious turn of events."

Sayori ignores Monika's whispers. "You Go, Yuri! Good job!"

The two circle each other, like lions stalking their prey. Sayori boos. "Quiet avoiding each other! I'm here to watch a fight, not a stand off!" Monika hushes her.

Natsuki charges in anger,hands out in front of her. Unknowing of where she may strike, Yuri just grabs them and pushes back. But doesn't sway her hands away— she intertwines her fingers with Natsuki's. Natsuki, surprised, steadies herself just in time and doesn't get knocked over. The two are locked in a fierce struggle, teeth bared and gritted. Neither was going to lose this. They push against each other harder and harder, when Yuri whips her hands to the side and throws Natsuki to the floor.

"COME ON, NATSUKI!" Sayori yells through cupped hands. "YOU CAN MAKE A COMEBACK!" Monika tries to hush her again, but is too interested to look away.

Natsuki gets up slowly at first, hands shaking. She's on all fours. Yuri seems to lower her guard. She walks over to Natsuki, mildly cautious. "Natsuki? She begins to walk over with her arms still in a fighting stance, and I'm momentarily worried. Did Natsuki get seriously hurt?

Suddenly, Natsuki swivels around and delivers a hard kick to Yuri's midsection. While the taller girl is unprepared, Natsuki laughs haughtily and attacks her with punch after punch to her body. They don't seem powerful by themselves, but the repetition combined with the shock seems to be taking a toll on Yuri.

She finally fights back, landing a knee to her stomach. It pushes Natsuki back, but doesn't knock the wind out of her. The two are against each wall, breathing heavily. Yuri's hair is almost entirely out of its bun, and Natsuki's ribbons are falling out. They seem to be at a stalemate.

Monika chimes in. "Girls?" She asks. "You finished?"

The two lock eyes , and both share a nod. When they finally both agree, they both slump and relax. Yuri lets her hair down, and let's out a sigh. "Good job, Natsuki." She says.

"Yeah, well, you too." Natsuki says, straightening her hair and trying to catch her breath. She's trying not to smile.

Yuri turns back to the three of us, and Sayori and Monika are clapping— sayori more excitedly, and Monika more politely. I join in. Natsuki grins and playfully bows. Yuri giggles and does a little curtsy, and Sayori whistles at the two of them. The two girls begin to put on their jackets when Yuri clears her throat quietly and says "so, uhm, MC..." she begins, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What did... what did you think?"

"Oh, it was pretty great." I said. "I mean, I don't have anything to compare it to, but it looked cool. You look like you both know what you're doing."

Natsuki grins. "Yeah. I thought you'd be impressed." She says proudly, picking up her jacket.

Yuri smiles sadly down at Natsuki as she slips on her shoes. "Yes, you did well. Your fighting style is very unique."

Natsuki's brow furrows. "Alright. Yours is... fancy, I guess." She shrugs on her blazer over her shoulders.

"Ah..." yuri says. "Thanks."

I can sense a tension in the air. This may not end well.

"The moves you used are pretty... cute."

"Cute?!" Natsuki interjects. "How was it supposed to be cute?... Did you completely miss the point or something? Fighting isn't cute."

"I-I know that!" Yuri draws her hands close to her chest. "I just meant... the strategy, I guess... I was trying to say something nice."

Natsuki looks offended. "So you have to try that hard to come up with something to say to me?" She has her full attention on Yuri now, not bothering to start putting on her shoes.

Sayori and Monika look at each other and grimace. "Heyyy, we're going to go over here now." Sayori flails for an excuse, then grabs Monika's arm and leaves. Why didn't she take me with her?! I'm afraid to move in fear that they'll see me and get me involved. The two don't even notice.

"Thanks for the 'complement', but it really didn't come out that nice at all!" Natsuki raises her voice, and plants her hands on her hips.

Yuri seems upset, and struggles for something to say. "Uhm... I did have some suggestions."

"Hmph! If I was looking for suggestions, I'd ask someone who actually knew good fighting when they see it!" The smaller girl fires back. "And someone DID, by the way. Sayori really liked it. And MC did too!"

Uh oh. Now I'm involved.

"So," natsuki continues. "Based on that, I'd gladly give you some tips of my own! First of all—"

"Excuse me." Yuri cuts in. "I appreciate the offer, but I've spent a long time perfecting my fighting style. I don't expect it to change anything soon, unless I come across something particularly inspiring. Also," She gestures to me. "I made diagrams for MC on how to perfect their fighting style as well. So at least I'm being helpful rather than bitter."

Natsuki seems to be fuming. "Nnn..."

"And Besides," yuri continues calmly. "MC also enjoyed my fighting style. So I believe we're even."

Natsuki suddenly lurches forward towards Yuri. "Oh, yeah?" She doesn't lunge to take her out like I though she would— she's just standing on her toes to try to get to Yuri's level. She's still much shorter than her. "I didn't realize you were sooooo invested in trying to impress our new member, Yuri!" She accuses.

Yuri immediately flushes. "Eh?! That's not— you're just—" She stutters, almost seeming to shrink as she does so. Suddenly, Yuri leans forward too— the two girls would be nose-to-nose if yuri was just shorter. Yuri looks down at Natsuki. "Maybe MC Just appreciates my advice more than they do your whining!"

"Yeah? Well how do you know they didn't appreciate mine?" Natsuki leans closer, and the two are chest to chest now. "Are you that full of yourself?"

"N-no! I—..." Yuri is quiet for a minute, then retorts. "I-if I wanted to be full of myself, I would go out of my way to make everything I do cutesy and over the top!"

Natsuki clenches and unclenches her fists. She looks like she's ready to start another poetry session.

Sayori hurriedly rushes over, apparently picking now to rescue me. Thanks a lot, I think. My best friend pipes up timidly. "Uhm, is everyone okay?" She begins.

"Well, you know what?" Natsuki ignores sayori, not even tearing her eyes away from Yuri. "Im not the one who's boobs magically grew a size bigger once MC started to show up!" She jabs a finger into Yuri's chest.

The taller girl's face turns fluorescent red. "N-natsuki! How vulgar!" She swats her hand away from her chest and Natsuki gasps.

Monika decides to intervene as well, coming over with her hands cautiously in front of her. "Um, Natsuki, that's a little—"

Yuri and Natsuki both snap their heads towards Monika and simultaneously shout "this doesn't involve you!"

Sayori waves her hands as Monika reels back. "Guys, please! I don't like fighting!" She pauses. "Emotional fighting! Words hurt more than fists!"

Suddenly, Yuri and Natsuki face me, as if they knew I was sitting here for the first time. "MC!" They both call out. I jump. Oh, no. I can see where this is going at this point.

"Sh-she's just trying to make me look bad!" Yuri points and accusing finger at Natsuki while pleading desperately. "I would never do.. th-that."

"Yeah right!" Natsuki groans, throwing up her hands. "I'm sure you've got all kinds of extra padding in there!" She points back at Yuri's chest. Yuri gasps in anger. "Besides," The smaller girl continues, "You need to learn how to get over yourself. If you would just learn that straight to the point fighting is more effective— what's the point in making all your moves convoluted for some reason? So you'll feel better about yourself?"

"There's a reason we have so many different kinds of fighting styles in our world!" Yuri explains. "To be used! The only way to successfully defeat an opponent is to display true talent, not barrage them with an assault of meaningless strikes. To do so would just handicap you!" She turns to me. "Isn't that Right, MC?"

Natsuki turns towards me. "No! A simple attack style is better! You're a total newbie MC, but I'm sure you still know this!"

"Uh-Uhm—" is all I can stutter out.

The girls can't wait. "Well?!" They say, then shoot daggers at each other for saying the same thing. How did I get dragged into this in the first place? All I did was sit here! This isn't a time to play favorites. They both bring up valid points, but there isn't any way for me to pick a better one— like Natsuki said, I'm a complete novice! To say one is better than the other wouldn't mean anything, and if I did, I'm sure the other girl would be ticked at me. I exhale.

"Uhm, Natsuki—" I begin, But the smaller girl glares at me with a sneer on her lip. Anything I had to say dies up in my mouth.

I turn to Yuri instead. "Y-yuri..." She fiddles with a strand of hair, looking away. She looks so upset and defenseless... I swallow my words.

I turn around and see Sayori, looking upset. Then I get an idea.

"Sayori!" I exclaim.

The three girls— Yuri, Natsuki, and Sayori— all look confused. I grab Sayori's arm and pull her towards me, by my side. "Y-Yeah! All your fighting is making Sayori upset."

The two are quiet for a moment when Natsuki scoffs. "So? That's her problem. If she hates it so bad, she can just go."

"I-I agree." Yuri says softly. "It's unfair for her to interject herself in our conflict."

"Yeah, unless sayori wants to tell Yuri what a stuck-up SNOB she's being..." Natsuki mumbles, crossing her arms.

"She would never— it's your immaturity that's made her upset in the first place!" Yuri swivels back to Natsuki.

Natsuki grits her teeth. "Are you listening to yourself? This is exactly why—"

I'm afraid their bickering is just going to resume when Sayori calls out. "Stop!"

The two hush. They look over to Sayori.

"Natsuki! Yuri!" Sayori says, softer. "You guys are both my friends! I just want you both to get along and be happy... you're both such wonderful people... and I love you both because of your differences!"

Sayori walks over to Natsuki. "Natsuki... your fighting style is fantastic! You're so quick! You can take a hit and keep on coming! Every session, you do so much with so little. You surprise me every time you fight because you do so much better than the bar I set, even when it's really high!"

Natsuki looks away, lacing her fingers together in front of her lap. She wipes her nose to block the blush that begins to spread in her face.

She turns to Yuri. "And yuri.. yours is so amazing because you look like a professional! You could fight for real— and I bet your opponents would forfeit because you look so cool and confident! Your complicated moves always take me by surprise!"

Yuri runs her fingers through her hair again nervously.

Sayori sighs and looks at her feet. "Everyone's so talented... so why are we fighting... about our own special ways of fighting?" She looks up and smiles.

Natsuki hesitates, and Yuri looks away in shame.

"Well..."

"I-I thought..."

"Also!" Sayori interrupts, apparently not done. I internally grimace. No, she's probably going to ruin her great speech with something weird! "Natsuki, you're the cutest girl I know and there's nothing wrong with that!"

Natsuki bites her lip and looks embarrassed, but... also somehow happy?

"And Yuri's boobs are the same as they always were!" Sayori points to said boobs. "Big and beautiful!"

Natsuki darts her eyes to Yuri's chest then looks away, blushing. Yuri's faces looks like a sunburnt tomato at this point. Sayori seems to have no clue how embarrassing this is.

Sayori stands triumphantly, as if that was the best note she could finish on. She looks absolutely proud of herself. Monika just stands behind her with a bewildered expression.

"Sayori..." I sigh, putting a hand to my head.

Yuri awkwardly shifts her feet, crossing her arms to hide her chest. "I..." She says, voice thick. "I think I'll make some tea." She rushes off.

"Do—" Natsuki begins. She seems like she regrets speaking up once Yuri turns her head. She shrinks back, lookin away stubbornly. "Do you... mind if I help?"

Yuri smiles, despite the tense moment still hanging in the air. "Sure."

Natsuki quickly— and finally— puts on her shoes and rushes over to Yuri to help make tea. Sayori gives me a grin so big, you would think she won the lottery. I expect her to give them a little bit of space after this whole ordeal, but she immediately goes to join them and chat happily about whatever.

Monika walks over to me, chuckling. "This is why Sayori's Vice President." She says, crossing her arms.

I nod, watching her talk with the other two girls. "Yeah. I can see that."

"Yknow..." Monika begins, lacing her fingers together. "To be honest, I may come off as a good leader, help organize things... but I'm not all that good with people." She laughs lightly at herself. "I could hardly bring myself to interject."

I shake my head. "I can hardly blame you. Those two get pretty intense when they fight... even more so when it isn't physically, somehow. I wasn't able to do anything, either."

"I guess Sayori really is amazing in her own way, isn't she?"

"I guess so. She can be a real airhead sometimes... but she usually does know what she's doing."

Monika hums. After a moment, she says "though I did wish I could stop her before the boob thing."

I blush. "Yeah. She doesn't usually have a filter."

Monika laughs, then claps a hand on my back. "Take good care of her, okay? I would hate to see her get herself hurt."

"You and me both." I agree.

Monika smiles sweetly at me, and my stomach ties itself in knots that only a Boy Scout would know. She's such a genuine person— and despite what she says, she's a fantastic club president. If only I had the chance to be able to talk with her a little more...

Monika claps her hands, snapping me out of my thoughts. The three girls turn around, whom have all been sipping tea amongst themselves and talking. "Okay, Everyone!" Monika says, smiling. "Now, it's getting a little late... but I think we have enough time to let our new member have a shot at a session! How does that sound?"

Sayori let's out a whoop, shooting her hands up in the air and almost spilling her tea. Yuri claps politely, cup gently clasped in hand. Natsuki puts hers on the table so she can clap properly. I almost forgot about my first session. The knot in my stomach gets tighter.

I grin nervously. "Uh, Alright— I guess I should make this quick, huh?" I look to Monika as we walk back to the desks.

"As long as you need it to be, that's how long we go." Monika says. "Whenever you're ready to tap out, you tap out."

I nod. "Okay... So... who am I going up against?"

Sayori jumped up and down, raising her hand. "Ooh! Ooh! Me me me me me me me!"

Natsuki pushes her arm, raising her hand and standing on her toes. "Hey, That isn't fair! I want a shot at them!"

Yuri raises her hand next. "I'll teach you the moves, if you want." She wasn't loud like the others, but there was a sense of urgency in her voice.

I can't choose between all of them. Their voices mush together and distract me. I don't know who to choose, and am thinking of settling when Monika rests a hand on my shoulder and leans to my ear. "I'd love to show you the basics," she whispers, her voice thriving above the noise. "I promise I'll go easy on you." Her Breath tickles my ear, and sends a shiver down my spine.

Yup. I've made my decision.

I raise my hand to try and quiet them down, and they eventually hush. "I... I, Uh, think I should go up against Monika." I say, twiddling my thumbs. "Just because she's president. I guess."

Sayori looks disappointed. "Awww. Alright, MC."

Natsuki shrugs, looking away. "It's not like I really wanted to fight you anyway."

Yuri just hums offhandedly.

The three girls comes to the back of the room and sit on the desks. Monika goes up to the center of the room, and begins to unbutton her blazer. My face turns red, and I look away as I begin to undo mine as well.

Once Monika tosses her blazer to the side and kicks off her shoes, she puts up her hands. I do the same, attempting to mimic her stance. Now not only am I worried— I'm embarrassed at the four pairs of eyes staring me down. How am I supposed to focus on something this stressful with everyone watching me? I feel my knees begin to shake.

"Hey," Monika says gently, voice low. "Don't worry about them. Is just us."

I nod, looking away from the three girls and just focusing on Monika. I stare at her, watch her hair sway as she stands. We're the only one she'd in my mind— alone. One on one. Me against Monika... only Monika. Just Monika.

Just Monika.

—unfinished—


	3. Chapter 3

My body is completely and utterly tense. Sweat is already beginning to bead on my forehead, and no one's even thrown a punch yet. Monika is still looking cool and confident, hardly noticing my fear. I try to swallow, but my mouth is dry.

Sayori, Yuri, and Natsuki are just watching. Or maybe not— I'm too nervous to turn my head and look at them. Focusing on Monika hasn't really done a lot to help me.

"Hey," Monika says. "You can throw the first punch." She offers, putting her hands down.

I flush. She's giving me such an easy shot... how embarrassing. My mind counters with the fact that I am brand new, so maybe she didn't this with everyone else? Either way, I'm a little ashamed. Was I really that visibly scared?

I try to force myself to relax. "Okay..." I breathe. I look at her body, and where to hit it— and suddenly, I begin to feel dirty.

We aren't allowed to go for someone's face, so that's out. No visible marks in reference to the school uniform, so no legs either. So that just mostly leaves the torso... i don't want to put my hands there! The only option is to punch her chest, stomach, or possibly pelvis...

"Don't worry about the logistics of it." Monika says, putting a hand on her hip. "Just go with what feels right."

My eyes snap back up to her face. Did she notice me staring—? I nod my head to Monika, trying to focus.

I step forward a little bit, my fists in front of me. I'm confused about everything. Do I run up to her? Do I... hop? Hop sounds ridiculous. But I wouldn't know! Maybe it would look cool...What way do I punch her? Will she immediately punch me back?

"Hey!" Natsuki yells from the desks. "Hurry up! I can feel my brain cells dying."

"Yeah, MC!" Sayori calls, cupping her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "Give is some action!"

"You can do it." Yuri says gently.

"They're right, MC." Monika says. "It's not as difficult as you think."

I exhale, nodding. There's a little smile on my face from all the encouragement. I bounce on my toes a little bit, close my eyes... and throw a left hook at Monika.

There's a brief moment of pride in me , but i realize I don't know where I punched her until I hear an sharp intake of breath and an "ow". Natsuki sputters, Yuri gasps, and I can hear Sayori beginning to laugh. I open my eyes to see Monika clutching her chest.

I stumble back. "Ah!" Is all I can stammer. "I-I am so sorry! Monika—"

Monika rolls her neck and puts up her fists again. "Well," She says. "Now I have to be relentless on you."

I automatically recoil back, bringing up my hands to shield my face, waiting for the blow.

I hear Monika snicker. I look up to her, and she's hiding a smile behind her hand. She giggles a little, then shakes her head. "Oh, MC." She chuckles. "You really are a treat." She stoops down to pick up her shoes and blazer— I'm a bit confused.

"Is... is that it?" I ask, straightening up.

Monika shrugs. "It would be safe to end today's meeting early because we've already gone long enough." She puts her arms through her jacket. "And Besides," She smiles. "You three a punch, so that technically counts as a completed session."

"Really?"

" 'Sessions will go one as long as needed.' That's a Rule." Monika says, slipping on her shoes. "This counts."

"Booooooo!" Sayori jeers. "I wanted to see MC in action!"

Natsuki snickers. "Please. It's good Monika ended this when she did. She would have kicked their—"

Yuri cuts her off. "Hopefully you'll be ready by tomorrow, MC."

I chuckle, rubbing my neck. "Yeah, I hope so too.. I didn't even get to use all the stuff I brought." I look over to my duffel bag as I stoop down to pick up my blazer.

"Oh, that's a shame." Yuri says, walking over to the back and peering inside. Natsuki and Sayori follow, poking through it.

Natsuki pulls out the band-aids and gauze I brought with me. "Hah! You really are a rookie."

"Well, I just thought... if anyone got really hurt, I could be prepared."

"Hmph. How..." Natsuki seems to get stuck in the middle of her insult. "N-nice. I'm keeping these." She pockets the bandages.

Sayori pulls out the water bottle. "Gotta stay hydrated when fighting, right?" She giggles.

"Yeah." I smile, walking over. "Actually, can I have that? Putting duh a beat down on Monika made me thirsty."

Monika scoffs. "Oh, please."

Yuri pulls out the sports tape, and looks at it thoughtfully. She seems to be thinking about something. I look over to her as I take a sip of water. "Yuri?" I say, getting her attention.

She seems to break out of a trance. "Oh, MC.." she says, fumbling with a lock of her hair again. "May I... use this?"

I nod. "Sure, Go ahead. You can keep it."

Yuri flushes. "Ah... thank you very much." She puts in in the pocket of her blazer, smiling to herself.

Monika claps her hands, getting everyone's attention. "Okay, Everyone!" She says. "I think it's about time we all head home."

"Awww!" Sayori whines. "I didn't even get to have a session."

Monika shrugs, smiling. "Sorry, Sayori. You can be up first tomorrow."

She sighs, resigned. "Finnnne."

"Well everyone, how did you feel about today's session?" She asks the group.

"I would say it was worth it." Yuri said, standing up.

"It was alright." Natsuki crosses her arms. "Well, mostly."

"What about you, MC?" Monika turns to me. "How was your first real day in the Literature club?"

"A bit overwhelming..." I confessed. "But fun."

"In that case," Monika smiled. "Let's do the same thing tomorrow. How about you study those tactics Yuri gave you?"

I remember the folded up paper in my pocket. "Oh, yeah." I say. "Totally. I'll definitely beat you next time, Monika!"

She laughs. "I'm sure you'll do great, MC. And hey, you've already learned things from your friends, too. So I'm sure your fighting will be better than ever!"

I nod to myself with newfound determination.

"MC!" Sayori says happily. "Ready to walk home?" She beams.

I think to myself. It really has been awhile since Sayori and I spent so much time together. I can't say I'm not enjoying it, either. I smile back at her. "Sure thing, Sayori."

She grins. "Alright, let's go!" She goes to open the door, then turns to wave at everyone else. "Bye, guys!"

I heft my (now much lighter) duffel bag over my shoulder and say my goodbyes. "Thanks for the fun time."

"Later." Says Natsuki, her face already in her manga.

"Nice seeing you." Yuri Says politely.

"Goodbye, MC." Monika smiles.

"Oh, Monika... I say, almost closing the door behind me. "Sorry about, Uh..."

She saves me off. "Don't worry about it. Bye!"

I wave and close the door, walking down the hallway with Sayori now.

"Hey, sayori..." I begin. "About what happened earlier with Natsuki and Yuri."

"Yeah?" She says quizzically.

"Does that kind of thing happen very often?

"Oh, no!" Sayori says as we round the corner. "They aren't usually like that. That's the first time I've ever seen them fight! I promise, they're never like this..." she begins to seem downtrodden. "You don't... you still like them, don't you?"

"No, of course not! I just wanted to know that's all. I can see why they would be such good friends with you."

Sayori sighs with relief. "Good."

We reach the door that leads our the front of the school, and as Sayori starts to push it open, she smiles quietly to herself. "You know, MC..." she says. "It really nice we get to spend time like this together again."

"Yeah... it really is." I say.

"But.. I think it's seeing you interact with the other girls that makes me the happiest." She Says as the cool, outside air hits our faces. "And I think that everyone really likes you, too!"

My face heats up a bit. "You think so?"

"Ehehe~" she giggles. "I do. Every day is going to be so much fun!"

It looks like sayori still hasn't caught in the situation I'm in. Yes, the girls are all really nice, and I like being friends with them... but what's stopping me from being more than that? I catch myself, blushing even more at the thought. Maybe close combat is an aphrodisiac, I joke to myself.

"I guess we'll just have to see what the future holds, Sayori." I say.

Sayori pumps her fist. "Okay!"

I grin, looking ahead. Te sun is setting, casting long, dark shadows across the ground. The sky is lit up orange, and here I am with my best friend, walking home. I had a great day today, and I'm ready for a better one tomorrow.

I nod to myself.

Let's do this!


	4. Chapter 4

Another day passes, and it's time, once again, for a club meeting.

Alright, this is it! My prime moment. I've studied up on the sheet Yuri gave me. I've looked up fighting techniques. I borrowed some books from the library, but got distracted and did not read them... two out of three ain't bad. I'm ready for a real fight this time.

Over the past couple of days, I've become more and more comfortable with the idea of being in a fight club. In my head, it's almost some kind of normal. I try my best not to make it seem too normal though, to obey the first rule of Literature club and not let anything slip on accident. Thankfully, I don't have many friends outside the club, so no accidents have happened.

Entering the club room after a password check, the normal scene greets me.

Sayori waves from the other side of the room once Yuri opens the door. Her head popped up once she heard me knock. "Hi, MC!" She croons.

"Yo, Sayori." I set my bag down next to the door and walk in, Yuri closing the door behind me. After a quick hello to Yuri, I turn back to Sayori. "You're in a good mood today."

"Heh heh!" She chuckles. "I'm just not used to you being in the club yet."

"I see." I reply. It's a simple thing to put her in a good mood, but I shrug it off. It's a pretty Sayori-like thing to be happy about the little things- even if it's the REALLY little things. "It is the simple things that make you happy."

"Yeah!" calls Sayori, pumping a fist in the air. She deflates quickly, seeming embarrassed, which is a first for Sayori. "Speaking of the little things..." She presses her fingertips together nervously. "I have a little favor to ask."

I sigh. "What is it, Sayori?"

"I forgot to eat breakfast today... and I'm kinda hungry." She blushes. "Would you mind coming with me to get a snack?"

"No thanks." I say immediately.

"Eh?! Why not! that's not like you at all, MC!" Sayori exclaims.

"Well... why don't we take a look at your purse, Sayori?" I cock my head to the side.

Busted. Sayori flushes harder, looking away. "Huh?" She feigns surprise. "What's this about?"

"If there's nothing wrong, I'm sure you'll let me see it." I put out my hand.

Sayori slowly retrieves her coin purse from her bag, and I pluck it from her hands. I open the latch and turn it upside down, letting its contents spill onto the desk. Two small coins fall and clatter on the wood.

"Hmm?" I ask. "Funny how you don't have any money for food, and you ask me to come get a snack with you..." I put a finger to my cheek. "Isn't that odd? It seems like you just wanted free food, Sayori."

"Awww, what?" She asks, upset. "I give up! now I feel guilty!" She throws her hands in the air.

I pat her on the back. "Sorry, Sayori." I remark. "This is what happens when you skip a meal."

"Awwwwwww..." Sayori whines more, slumping over on the desk.

"Haha!" From the other side of the room, Yuri suddenly giggles. Sayori sits up to look at her, and I turn around to face the tall girl.

"Eh?" I feel a little embarrassed now that I know she was listening in. She still has her face in a book, but it appears she wasn't paying attention to it. Yuri seems to notice that we've noticed, and she suddenly pulls her shoulders back, covering her mouth with her book.

"A-ah!" She exclaims, voice muffled by the book. "I-I wasn't listening in!" She flounders. "It was.. s-something in my book."

Sayori gets a reprimanding tone in her voice. "Yuriiii..." She draws out her name as if she's going to scold her. Then she explodes into a whining ball of desperation and cries "Tell MC to let me borrow some money!"

"That's-!" Yuri's taken aback. She loosens up, leaning forward and removing the book from her face. "Don't get me involved like that." She closes her eyes. "Besides, you should only purchase what you can responsibly afford. And frankly, after pulling such a silly, mischievous stunt, your suffering is payment enough. It's your retribution."

I blink. "Damn, Yuri." I say. "that's brutal."

"Oh!" Yuri says, embarrassed. "Did I just- I didn't mean- I-I got too absorbed into my book!" The blush that covers her face is dense.

Sayori giggles wholeheartedly. "oh, Yuri!" She smiles. "I love it when you speak your mind like that!"

Yuri peeks up, shyly as Sayori talks.

"It doesn't happen much, but it's a fun side of you! I like it!" She grins.

"That's..." yuri says, blush becoming less intense. She seems to be calming down a bit, taking Sayori's sincere comments to heart.

Sayori shrugs. "You were right though. I've suffered, and I've payed my restitution!"

"Close. Retribution." Yuri corrects.

"Revolution!" Sayori nods confidently.

"Retribution." Yuri repeats.

"Resolution!"

"Retribution."

"That!" sayori says, giving up.

"Still, coming from you, Sayori.." Yuri giggles. "I guess there's a little devil inside all of us, isn't there?"

"Oooh, spooky!" Sayori grins. "I like it! And the devil in me has paid its reconstitution!"

"Retribution." Yuri says again, her patience not yet wearing thin.

I chuckle, looking at Yuri. "Don't be fooled by her, Yuri." I remark, turning a chair backwards and sitting on it. "Sayori is more calculated than you give her credit for. After all, she told you guys I would join the club before she even told me."

Sayori opens her mouth to say something, but before she can, an object hits her square in the face, taking her down. Yuri and I exclaim as the object makes impact, and Sayori hits the ground. Worried for a second, I get next to her.

"Sayori?" I ask. "Are you okay?"

"Uwaaa..." Sayori is holding her face where the object hit her. "Yeah, I'm alright... what was that?"

The three of us look over to the object on the floor. It's a large cookie, wrapped in saran wrap, with a large split down the middle- assumably made by Sayori's face. At the sight of the treat, Sayori's eyes light up. She snatches the cookie in her hands and gasps. "A cookie?!" Sayori whips her head around.

"Is this..." her eyes are glistening. "is this a miracle? This is because I paid my recollection!"

"Getting further away. Retribution." Yuri chimed in.

From the other side of the room, Natsuki bursts out laughing as she closes the door. "Bah- ha ha ha! I was just gonna give it to you, but then I heard about you blab about how hungry you were. I thought this would be funnier. Totally worth seeing your reaction!"

"Oh?" Sayori wonders. "could this be a new fighting technique?!" She holds the cookie like a shield. "Sweet Punch-Breaker! Cookie power!"

Yuri laughs gently. "I think it would be more of an attack weapon, considering how it hit you so hard."

"Natsuki!" Sayori cries, looking at her now. "this is so nice of you! I'm so happy..." Sayori almost gets misty eyed as she hugs the cookie.

"You better eat that before I do." I say.

"Hey! Natsuki gave this to me!" Sayori is protective of her new sweet. She tears open the plastic and takes a big bite. "Mmmmm~!"

I turn to Natsuki. "Hey, did you just get here? How did you get in without a password check?"

Natsuki holds up a keyring with two keys and a little keychain of a pen. "Monika lent me her keyring. Since she's club president, the faculty gave it to her so she could close up once club ends. I just came back in because I went out to grab that cookie." She looks over to Sayori. "looks like it was worth it."

I nod. That makes sense. "Where is she, by the way? Monika?"

Before Natsuki can answer, Sayori pipers up. Behind me, dhr is still fawning over her snack. "Aw, Natsuki!" She looks over to the shorter girl. "I'm so happy you shared this with me. You're so nice!" Sayori prances over to Natsuki and throws her arms around her.

Natsuki flushes once Yuri laughs lightly at the scene. "Yeah, yeah." Natsuki brushes Sayori's arms off of her. "I get it."

Sayori pokes Natsuki's face, grinning. "You really are just so generous and kind and sweet and cute!" She's really goading Natsuki on, and Natsuki seems to get more embarassed.

"shut up already." Natsuki grumbles.

"Nooooo~" Sayori just squeezes her tighter, and Natsuki jumps.

"Ow!" She cries out in pain. Natsuki rubs her arm once Sayori releases her.

"What's wrong?" Sayori asks before seein ga bruise on Natsuki's left shoulder. "Oh, no!" She exclaims. "Natsuki, did... did I do that?"

"No." Yuri says hurriedly. The three of us turn to her, surprised at the urgency in her voice. She shrinks. "I mean..." She starts off again. "I believe... I may have hit Natsuki there. And it bruised. It's my fault. I'm sorry, Natsuki."

After a moment. the smaller girl nods. "Yeah... yeah, it's fine Yuri. Whatever. I don't care." She tries to act aloof. "Monika, can you-" Natsuki turns, realizing it's only Sayori, Yuri, her and I. "Huh." She says, crossing her arms. "She should be here by now."

"You didn't hear a knock?" I asked.

She shakes her head. "Did you guys?"

Yuri and Sayori shake their heads as well.

"have you heard anything about her being late?" Yuri asks.

"Not me." Sayori replies. I shrug in response.

"How odd." yuri remarks, looking at the door.

Sayori crinkles her brows in worry. "I hope she's alright."

Natsuki makes a "pfft" sound. "Of course she's alright."

"What if she got hurt?" Sayori says. "At our last session."

"From what? A punch to the boob?" Natsuki scoffs. I flush, hard. "That isn't enough to make her late for a meeting. She probably just had something else to do."

After a moment, Sayori gasps. The three of us turn to her, confused. She begins to whisper with a shocked look on her face. "You don't think.. she has a-!"

Yuri put a hand to her mouth, thoughtful. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised. She is very pretty, most likely more desirable than all of us combined."

I puff out my chest with a joking look on my face. "Speak for yourself."

"No, Yuri's right." says Sayori.

"Excuse me?!" exclaims Natsuki.

Suddenly, there's a rapping from the door. Natsuki goes to answer it after hearing Monika's voice. The brown-haired girl rushes in, panting and dropping her backpack in the floor. "I'm sorry!" She calls. "Super sorry!"

"Oh, there you are!" I say.

"Yes, yeah.." Monika breathes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be late. I hope you guys weren't worried or anything..."

Sayori claps. "Oh! Monika chose the club over her boyfriend after all! How strong willed!"

Monika smiles, confused. "Boyfriend? What are you talking about?" After a beat, she shakes her head. "You know, forget it."

"Where were you?" I ask. "We were wondering."

"oh..." She begins, shaking her head." I just... lost track of time. It's alright."

"You didn't hear the bell?" Natsuki says, crossing her arms. "that doesn't make sense."

"No, probably because I was practicing my piano."

"Oh, piano?" Yuri says, clasping a hand to her chest. "I was unaware you played music."

"Oh, I've just started recently! I'm not that good." Monika sighs, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I've always wanted to, though."

"Oooh, how cool!" sayori says, finishing off the last of her cookie. "you should play for us, Monika! Wouldn't that be fun?"

Monika blushes lightly. "Ah..." She glances to me, then darts her eyes back to the group."Maybe once I get better."

"yay!" Sayori grins.

I nod my head. "Cool. I'm looking forward to it."

"Is that so?" Monika turns to me, her green eyes locking onto mine. She smiles. "In that case.. I won't let you down, MC."

If only for a moment, everyone else seems to fade away, and it's just Monika and I in the room. She looks at me with that pristine grin, and her eyes glimmer like emeralds. She truly is a sight to behold. I feel a flush spread over my face. I scratch the back of my neck, suddenly nervous. "Ah, no pressure or anything."

"Ahaha, don't worry." Monika waves away my worries. "I would really like a chance to share once I'm ready."

I smile instinctively, the grin pushing its way onto my face. "In that case..best of luck."

"Thanks~!" She nods. Turning back into the group, the two of us turn back into reality. "So, Monika says, picking up the conversation. "Did I miss anything?"

"You missed Sayori getting hit in the face wit ha cookie." Natsuki pipes up.

"And incorrectly pronouncing the word 'retribution' multiple times." Yuri chimes in.

Monika laughs. "So nothing out of the ordinary then." Monika claps her hands together. "Alright! Now... who wants to get started?"

Everyone cheers, and begins to head to the back of the room. Sayori is practically bouncing. "Yes yes yes! oooh, I'm so revved up today! I can't wait to get going."

I smile. "me too. I've been studying my moves."

Natsuki blows a raspberry. "hah! Your 'moves'. I'm excited to see them actually in action."

"Well, I hope you're ready to witness greatness." I tease.

Natsuki just goes "hmph" and takes a seat on one of the desks.

The room is the same as usual- all the desks pushed back to the wall to give the room more space. I look around, observing anything that could hurt me. There's nothing jutting out from the walls- just a perfect line of desks in the back of the room. Even the teacher's desk is carefully pushed to the front. Good! nothing that can hurt me other than my opponent.

I take a seat as well, Monika standing in front of us all.

"Okay." She says. "Since Natsuki and Yuri duked it out, and I got thoroughly defeated by MC..." She giggles. "Sayori, why don't you give it a go?"

My best friend give Monika an open mouthed grin and rushes up next to her. "Yes! Finally! Okay!" She begins to take off her blazer, excited, just leaving on her orange vest and dress shirt. "I'm so excited."

Monika chuckles. " I can tell." She looks back to the three of us. Yuri, Natsuki, and I. She hums, tapping a finger to her lips. After a few seconds, she snaps her fingers and seems to have made a decision.

"MC!" She declares.

Yuri claps politely while Natsuki laughs, a smug look on her face. "Lets see those moves, then!" She punches me lightly on the shoulder.

I stand, sticking my tongue out at her. I Go to the opposite wall, facing Sayori while Monika steals my seat. The red-haired girl kicks off her shoes and holds up her fist like a corny rubberhose cartoon character. I chuckle as I take off my blazer.

"Okay! good clean fight, you two!" Monika claps. "Whenever you're ready."

I brace myself, waiting for Sayori to make the first strike, when suddenly she drops her hands and turns to Monika, her arms limp. "Monika, waaaait!" She whines. "I just realized... I can't fight my best friend!"

I loosen up a bit. What's she doing?

"Sorry Sayori, no discrimination in Fight Club." Monika shrugs.

"Them's the rules!" Natsuki says.

"Those are the rules." Yuri corrects. "But yes, Sayori. I'm sure you can do it."

"But I don't wannaaaaa!" She whines.

This is weird. I put my arms down.

As soon as I do, Sayori tackles my midsection, grabbing hold and holding fierce. "Whoa-!" I cry as she almost picks me up off of my feet. I am astonished. How is this small girl so strong? The three girls whoop and cheer as I try to fight back. I struggle against her hold, but Sayori is locked tight, unmoving.

She heaves me up and then whips my body to the other side of the room. I catch myself, just in time, but I stumble and slam my back against the wall. My weight isn't on my feet, it's on my heels, and my knees are bent with my back against the wall. Sayori laughs, loud and strong, and punches her hands into the air.

"Yeah!" She shouts. "Let's do this!"

I stand up, cautious to not let my guard down again. I'm already breathing heavy. We circle one another, slowly, waiting.

I ball my hands into fists the way the charts showed me— with my thumb outside, hit with the top knuckles. I hit Sayori's shoulder, and she stumbles back! Once a wave of celebration rushed over me, I get a little embarrassed. I make sure not to lose my cool.

"don't get cocky!" Sayori yells, then slams into my body once more. I get the wind knocked out of me, and I wheeze. She hurls me once more, a little weaker this time. I cough, then bounce on my feet, trying not to look distracted.

Swinging my leg around in a kick, Sayori catches my foot and throws it upwards, almost causing me to fall again. Geez, she's on top of it! I swivel around, landing my airborne foot safely on the floor, and throw another punch. This one catches Sayori's rib.

"Aww, not fair!" She whines again, nursing the spot she got hit. I laugh.

She pounces, but my guard isn't quite down. Hooking her arms around my shoulders, almost in a hug, she wrestles me to the floor. My back hits the ground, and Sayori is holding me down.

She laughs haughtily. "What's the matter?" She jokes. "Want me to stay on top of you longer~"

I throw her to the side, off of me. She hits the floor hard. The other girls explode into cheers and laughter. I stand up, wiping the side of my mouth.

"Gross." I say.

Sayori gasps for breath, laughing. "Okay, okay!" She giggles. The shock of the throw and the stupidity of her joke is making her laugh really hard. "I tap out! Uncle, uncle!"

I pretend to keep fighting, holding her neck in a fake chokehold and giving her a noogie. Her ribbon falls out as I scrub her head, hard. She squeals, trying to wriggle free. "Eek! No! Let go!"

I laugh, finally releasing her. She rubs her neck, sighing happily. "Geez!" She grins. "You put up a good struggle."

"Struggle?" I tease. "I have you a fight!"

"Ooh, did you? Please!" She teases back.

"Okay, okay you two." Monika laughs. "Break it up."

The two of us chuckle, then come back to sit down once we pick up our jackets and shows. The three already sitting applaud for us, Yuri doing so politely as well as Monika, but Natsuki claps reluctantly. I grin at her as I plop down on the desk next to her. "How's that for a fight"

"Yeah, Yeah." She brushes me off. "You did fine, I guess."

I smile, knowing I finally impressed her.

"Okay." Monika says. "Who would like to go up next?"

Sayori's hand shoots in the air once again. "I challenge MC to a rematch!"

Monika laughs. "No, Sayori. Not again. Let's just rest for now, okay?"

She pouts. "Fine."

Monika puts a hand on her chest. "I'll go. And I think I'll face..." she scans the four of us, looking back up at her. Her eyes land on one of us, and she comes to a decision, smiling.

"Yuri!"

The girls jumps, surprised to hear her name. "Oh." She remarks simply.

"Go, Yuri!" Sayori shouts, still riled up from the last fight. "You got this!"

"Calm down." I say to my friend. I turn to the purple-haired girl. "You can do it."

Yuri looks uncertain, then turns to Natsuki.

The young girl flushes. "What're you looking at me for! Just get up there."

The older girl nods, and stands. Natsuki seems to mutter something under her breath, face getting redder. I can sense somethings about to happen, or has already happened.

I stiffen.

(Heyyy I'm back! That's it's for this chapter! Thank you for all the reviews, you're all great. I got em all so if you sent me one, I'm positive I saw it! Tune in next time!)


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